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The incidents occurred in the last four weeks when passport control officers stopped the travelers on arrival at MIA.

The most recent case was that of Alejandro Daniel Flores, who arrived from Santiago, Chile, on June 19 aboard a LAN Airlines flight.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Miami federal court, Flores presented an Argentine passport containing a valid American visitor visa.

Flores was taken out of the normal immigration line and sent to an interrogation room because the passport control officer saw an alert in his computer when he checked the traveler's name.

During interrogation, Customs and Border Protection officials found that previously Flores had come to the United States on a tourist visa on Feb. 27, 2000, and had stayed to live illegally in the country almost 12 years, according to the criminal complaint.

Flores, 39, is now awaiting possible trial on charges of getting his new tourist visa fraudulently. The maximum penalty, if found guilty, could be 10 years in prison.

The following case occurred on June 12 when Juan Carlos Duran Trujillo from Bogota arrived at MIA aboard a Viva Colombia flight.

When Duran presented his Colombian passport and a U.S. visa, he was sent to the interrogation room because the passport control officer also found an alert on his computer about the traveler.

CBP officers found Duran had a green card belonging to another person. When questioned, Duran said he had bought the card in Guatemala in 2001. In addition, CBP officers said they suspected that Duran had stayed longer than previously authorized and had apparently been deported in 2003.

Duran, 46, has decided to plead guilty and is awaiting a sentencing hearing, according to court records.

The other case took place on June 9 when a couple from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, arrived aboard an American Airlines flight.

Marissol Doroteia Dutra Barbosa and Carlos Valerio Barbosa were taken to the interrogation room when CBP officers discovered that previously both had overstayed their visas to remain in the United States.

According to a criminal complaint, Marissol had originally arrived on May 21, 2000, but did not leave until May 3, 2007. Carlos arrived on Feb. 29, 2000, and also did not depart until May 3, 2007.

Carlos, 63, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served and ordered deported. Marissol, 52, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served, followed by deportation.